Sanitary receptacle construction



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United States Patent Ofifice 3,322,477 Patented May 30, 1967 3,322,477 SANITARY RECEPTACLE CONSTRUCTION David A. Armijo, 845 Domingo Drive, San Gabriel, Calif. 91775 Filed June 22, 1965, Ser. No. 465,858 9 Claims. (Cl. 312-223) The present invention relates generally to receptacles of the type including an enlarged container such as a bag of flexible, impermeable sheet material mounted within the receptacle housing, the bag being periodically removable for disposal of its contents. More particularly the invention relates to such a receptacle and container housed therein designed for use in connection with the collection and disposal of items which may be soiled with liquids such as body fluids and the like which may be objectionable not only in odor, but may even be bacteriological-promoting such as in the case of contaminated bandages, sanitary pads or pus-bearing dressings.

In its preferred form hereinafter described and illustrated in detail, the receptacle in accordance with the present invention includes a generally rectangular cabinet or housing having at its top an access opening which is normally closed but which may be moved to open position as by a foot-actuated treadle or the like. When the receptacle is designed to be mounted on the floor, it may be provided with rollers, casters, or other wheels for ease of moving it to a convenient location during use, and may have a height of between about three feet and about five feet in order that its access opening formed in the rectangular top of the receptacle may be conveniently available for use. The access opening at the top of the receptacle is virtually air-tight when closed, to prevent release of odoriferous or germ-laden air from the contents of bag within the receptacle. The cabinet is provided with a lower floor for supporting the bottom end of the bag, which as above stated is made of flexible sheet material which is impervious to fluid flow therethrough, preferably a sheet plastic of the type which may be heatsealed in accordance with techniques Well known in the art. The upper end of the interior bag is open and is held in waste-receiving condition by suitable means mounted in the cabinet, to be later described, the open end of the bag being vertically aligned beneath the top access opening. The cabinet also desirably provides means for supporting a funnel or chute disposed vertically above the opening of the bag and beneath the access opening of the cabinet proper, in order to insure that refuse deposited in the access opening will be received in the bag.

One of the vertical walls of the cabinet, preferably the front wall, is provided with a large service door hinged to the cabinet, through which the flexible bag may be withdrawn when the bag and its contents are to be disposed of and through which a fresh bag can be introduced into the cabinet and mounted therein, desirably by clamping means in accordance with the invention. Within the cabinet there are provided heat-sealing means whereby, during withdrawal of a filled or partially filled bag for disposal, the upper portion of the bag is hermetically sealed so that the bag can be safely and hygienically transported to a suitable place for ultimate disposal.

As stated, the bag is held with its upper end open within the cabinet, and in accordance with the invention, there are desirably provided clamp means for so holding the upper open end of the bag, which may include means actuated by the opening of the service door for releasing the bag-clamping means. In the preferred form of the invention, this arrangement includes the use of solenoid-actuated clamping means, the solenoids being energized through suitable circuitry including a normally closed switch which is held in open position until the service door is opened, whereupon the switch is closed and the thus energized solenoids release the clamping means.

Means are also incorporated in the present invention for at least partially sterilizing the contents of the bag. Such means include a dispenser for a disinfectant medium, desirably in liquid form, and the cabinet includes mechanism whereby to actuate the disinfectant dispenser each time the upper access opening of the cabinet is opened by the use-r for insertion of a waste or refuse item into the bag for ultimate disposal.

In order to insure that the bag within the cabinet is never over-filled, there is desirably incorporated in the construction a device for indicating the level of the waste items in the bag. Accordnigly, means are desirably provided for projecting a light beam across the upper portion of the bag to a ligl1t-sensitive cell connected in conventional circuitry whereby to provide a signal when the beam of light is interrupted for more than a moment, as during actual insertion of a Waste item into the bag. Such a signal may obviously be in the form of an audible device such as a hell or the like, or a small warning lamp clearly visible to the user. Such means for indicating the level of waste items within the bag may advantageously be combined with means for additionally sterilizing the contents of the bag. Thus, an ultra-violet lamp may be employed, not only to generate the light beam whose permanent interruption actuates the photo-responsive element to warn of over-filling of the bag, but which also serves, by its radiation, in a germicidal capacity, thereby supplementing the disinfecting effect of the disinfectant material dispensed with each act of introduction of a waste item.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide and disclose novel improvements in the construction of waste receptacles, particularly for the collection and temporary storage of waste items which are odoriferous or which contain pathogenic organisms. Additional objects and purposes of the invention are to provide, in a construction of the class referred to, a bag of flexible impervious material housed within a cabinet which is virtually air-tight when closed, including means for indicating when the waste items within the bag exceed a predetermined level; to provide, in such a construction, means for introducing a quantity of disinfectant and deodorizing material into the bag each time a waste item is added thereto; to provide means including a germicidal lamp for supplementing the disinfectant effect of the disinfecting material nitroduced with each entry of a waste item; to employ the germicidal lamp in combination with sensing means for indicating the general level of waste items in the bag; to provide means for automatically hermetically sealing the bag containing waste items when such bag is removed from the cabinet, preparatory for ultimate disposal; to provide clamping means within a cabinet of such a receptacle, whereby the flexible bag is securely maintained in operative position during use, and which may be quickly released for removal of the bag upon opening of the service door; and for other and additional objects and purposes as will be understood from a reading of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an upper front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a sanitary receptacle in accordance with the present invention, with the access cover shown in raised, waste-receiving position, and the front service door shown open.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of one form of bag in accordance with the invention, a portion of the side wall being broken away and sectionalized.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the bag, a portion of the side wall being broken away to show a number of waste items therein.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line IVlV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view looking downwardly on the arrows V-V of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views taken on the arrows VIVI of FIG. 4, showing the clamping ring in, respectively, its lowered locking position and its raised unlocking position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the arrows VIHVIII of FIG. 4.

As seen in the drawings, the illustrative embodiment of the invention includes a housing or cabinet indicated generally at 10 having a bottom floor 12 mounted on suitable rollers or the like 14. The cabinet is desirably rectangular in shape having vertical front and rear walls 16 and 18 and side walls 20 and 22 terminating upwardly in a flat horizontal top wall 24 having formed therein a normally closed access cover indicated generally at 26 which may be moved to upwardly opened position by actuation of foot treadle 28 through means to be later described. One of the walls, preferably front wall 16, is provided with a service door indicated generally at 30 through which the internal flexible container bag indicated generally at within the cabinet may be mounted and later withdrawn when it is to be replaced.

Bag 40 is made of a flexible impervious material capable of being welded or otherwise sealed as by application of heat or the like, such material being desirably of a suitable sheet plastic and preferably transparent or at least translucent to ultra-violet radiation for reasons later appearing. The bottom 42 of the bag is generally fiat and rests upon the bottom floor 12 of the cabinet, and the bag in its upper portion is desirably formed and configured to facilitate its mounting in suspended relation within the cabinet, and also to facilitate withdrawal of the bag and simultaneous sealing thereof when the bag is to be replaced with a new bag. Thus the side wall 44 of the bag terminates upwardly in an open upper edge 46, and there may be provided in the upper part of forwardly projecting portion 48 to serve as a handle element by which servicing personnel can grasp a filled bag for removal. Furthermore, an enlarged bead 50 is desirably formed integrally on the outer surface of the side wall at or adjacent to the upper bag edge, to insure retention of the bag in suspended relation in the cabinet during use.

The bag suspension construction in accordance with the invention includes a horizontal partition indicated generally at in the upper part of the cabinet, the petition being mounted on the cabinet walls and extending inwardly therefrom and having formed therein an enlarged central opening in which is mounted an annular support ring indicated generally at 62. Supporting ring 62 is in the shape of an annulus having a forwardly directed interrupting opening 64, and a clamping ring indicated generally at 66 includes an outwardly projecting horizontal rim 67 and a downwardly extending annular flange 68 within support ring 62 and terminating in an inwardly inclined lip 70. Clamping ring 66 is vertically movable relative to support ring 62 between an upperor unlocked position and a lower position wherein, by coaction with support ring 62, the clamping ring retains the enlarged bead 50 within an inwardly open groove 72 extending arcuately around the inner face of support ring 62. Thus, with the parts in the locked position, the bag in maintained within the cabinet with its upper end open for periodically receiving waste items, and most of the weight of the bag and its contents is supported by the bottom floor 12 of the cabinet.

Means are provided for moving the clamping ring upwardly into unlocked position when the service door 30 is open. Thus, clamping ring 66 is supported by a plurality of arcuately spaced vertically movably rods attached at their upper ends to rim 67 and extending downwardly through bores 32. Each rod 80 constitutes the upper extension of a plunger connected to the armature of a solenoid indicated generally at 86 electrically energized through leads 88. The leads of all such solenoids, of which there may desirably be four equally angularly spaced around the rings, are supplied with current from a source 90, the circuit including a normally closed switch 92 which is held in electrically open condition when service door 30 is closed. Under these conditions, with solenoids 86 not energized, clamping ring 66 is in its lower locking position. Energization of the solenoids by closing of switch 2 when service door 30 is open causes plunger rods 80 to be moved upwardly, thereby raising clamping ring 66 to its unlocking position and permitting bead 50 of the bag to be withdrawn from groove 72 and the entire bag and contents thus removed from the cabinet through service door 30.

To minimize contamination of the surroundings, the bag 40 is desirably hermetically sealed concurrently with its removal from the cabinet, and means in accordance with the invention are provided to accomplish this. Thus a heat sealing element indicated generally at is electrically energized at 102, and electrical switch means therefor under the control of the operator may be suitably placed for convenient access as may be desired. Heat sealer 100 operates in conjunction with a back-up member or anvil 104, the heat sealer and anvil being mounted on the cabinet in alignment with the interrupting opening 64 of support ring 62.

The forwardly projecting handle portion 48 in the upper part of bag 40 is first introduced into the heat sealer 100, and indeed may be originally inserted therein when a fresh bag is first placed in the cabinet. When, now, a filled or partially filled bag is to be removed, the heat sealer is switched on and, by means of handle portion 48, the operator pulls the bag slowly forwardly out of the cabinet with the bag bead sliding in semicircular grooves 106, and the hermetic seal being formed immediately beneath the bead as shown.

Means are desirably provided for continuously disinfecting the interior of bag 40 during the time it is in the cabinet, and such means may desirably include a source of ultra-violet rays for irradiating the bag contents as well as the injection of a chemical disinfectant into the bag. Thus one or more ultra-violet lamps may be mounted in the upper part of the cabinet, above the bag, so that radiation therefrom continuously bathes the refuse items in the bag with germicidal rays. Additionally, means may be provided to dispense a chemical disinfectant, such as a liquid, and a suitable dispenser for the purpose is indicated generally at 116, desirably actuated each time the access cover 26 is opened and closed. Thus, when treadle 28 is depressed by the toe of the operator, force is transmitted through linkage 120, 122, 124 to raise the access cover to its waste-receiving position, and movement of the linkage and cover, through means 126, causes dispenser 116 to emit a predetermined amount of disinfectant into the bag.

Signal means are desirably provided to indicate that the level of refuse or waste items in the bag has reached a predetermined point, so that the bag should be removed and a fresh bag inserted, In the present embodiment such signal means may be advantageously and economically provided to operate in coaction with the disinfectant lamps 110. Thus a light sensitive element such as a photocell indicated generally at 130 may be mounted on the inner surface of one of the cabinet walls, so that it is normally energized by radiation from lamps 110. Conventional circuitry including leads 132, such circuitry being well known in the art and accordingly not shown in detail herein, supplies current to signal lamp 134 when photocell 130 is not receiving radiation from lamps 110. Thus, with a small quantity of refuse in the bottom of bag 40, photocell 130' is energized by radiation transversing the wall of bag 40, the wall being transparent to the radiation. When, however, the intensity of radiation impinging photocell 130 is reduced by the presence of refuse items in the bag above the level previously determined to be acceptable, the change of energization of the photocell is manifested by the illumination of signal lamp 134 so that service or custodial personnel are informed that replacement of the bag is needed.

It may be noted that the clamping ring and support ring assembly eflectively provides a funnel or chute to insure that all waste items inserted by the user into access cover 26 fall into the bag. Additional funnel or chute means may be provided above the open end of the bag, but this is normally not necessary when, as is preferred, the size of the access cover opening is no larger than the size of the upper end of the bag as held by the clamping-support ring assembly. It may be also noted that the access cover may be provided, as seen in FIG. 1, with a number of leaves 27 made of a flexible material such as thin sheet plastic material, the leaves being momentarily bent inwardly by the insertion of a waste item during use.

Modifications and changes from the specific form of the invention herein chosen to be illustrated and described in detail are within the contemplation, and such modifications not departing from the spirit of the invention are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sanitary receptacle for waste items, in combination:

a housing comprising a cabinet having a bottom floor,

walls extending upwardly from the floor and a horizontal top provided with an openable access cover, one of said walls being provided with a service door;

an open-mouthed bag of flexible impermeable material within the cabinet, the bag being positionable with its mouth immediately beneath the access cover when the bag bottom rests upon said floor;

releasable clamping means in the upper part of the cabinet for'releasably receiving and clamping the upper edge portion of said bag defining the bag mouth, including electrically operated means for releasing the clamping means;

and means actuated by the opening of said service door electrically energizing said releasing means.

2. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein the clamping means includes an assembly comprising a fixed support ring and a clamping ring concentric therewith, the clamping ring being normally in a lower bag-locking position and vertically movable by said electrically operated means to an upper bag-releasing position.

3. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein said bag material is heat-scalable, and including means mounted within the cabinet for heating and thereby hermetically sealing the mouth of the bag as it is withdrawn generally horizontally through said service door.

4. In a sanitary receptacle for waste items, in cornbination:

a housing comprising a cabinet having a bottom floor,

walls extending upwardly from the floor and a horizontal top provided with an openable access cover, one of said walls being provided with a service door;

an open-mouthed bag of flexible impermeable material Within the cabinet, the bag being positionable with its mouth immediately beneath the access cover when the bag bottom rests upon said floor;

releasable clamping means in the upper part of the cabinet for releasably receiving and clamping the upper edge portion of said bag defining the bag mounth;

means mounted above the clamping means for irradiating the contents of the bag with germicidal radiation, the material of said bag being transparent to said radiation;

and photosensitive means carried on an inner wall surface of the cabinet below a selected level of bag contents and indicator means energized when radiation toward said photosensitive means is interrupted by bag contents.

5. In a sanitary receptacle for waste items, in combination:

a housing comprising a cabinet having a bottom floor,

walls extending upwardly from the floor and a horizontal top provided with an openable access cover;

an open-mouthed bag of flexible sheet material within the cabinet, the bag being positionable with its mouth immediately beneath the access cover when the bag bottom rests upon said floor and the bag being provided with an enlarged bead on its outer surface adjacent the mouth;

and releasable clamping means in the upper part of the cabinet for releasably receiving and clamping the upper edge portion of said bag defining the bag mouth including an assembly comprising a fixed support ring having formed therein a groove for at least partially receiving said head, and a clamping ring concentric with the support ring and vertically movable between a lower ba -locking position and an upper bag-releasing position, said clamping ring including a generally cylindrical portion inwardly of the support ring groove when the clamping ring is in its lower position.

6. The invention as stated in claim 5 wherein the clamping ring is further provided with a frusto-conical lip inclined inwardly and downwardly from said cylindrical portion.

7. In a sanitary receptacle for waste items, in combination:

a housing comprising a cabinet having a bottom floor,

Walls extending upwardly from the floor and a horizontal top provided with an openable access cover, one of said walls being provided with a service door;

an open-mouthed bag of impermeable, heat-scalable, flexible sheet material within the cabinet, the bag being positionable with its mouth immediately beneath the access cover when the bag bottom rests upon said floor and the bag being provided with an enlarged head on its outer surface adjacent the mouth;

releasable clamping means in the upper part of the cabinet for releasably receiving and clamping the upper edge portion of said bag defining the bag mouth including an assembly comprising a fixed support ring having formed therein a groove for at least partially receiving said head, and a clamping ring concentric with the support ring and vertically movable between a lower bag-locking position and an upper bag-releasing position;

and heat sealing means mounted within the cabinet adjacent the upper end of said door for hermetically sealing the mouth of the bag as it is withdrawn through the door.

8. The invention as stated in claim 7 wherein said heat sealing means includes means movably engaging the bag bead.

9. In a sanitary receptacle for waste items, in combination:

a housing comprising a cabinet having a bottom floor,

walls extending upwardly from the floor and a horizontal top provided with an openable access cover, one of said walls being provided with a service door;

an open-mouthed bag of flexible sheet material within the cabinet, the bag being positionable with its mouth immediately beneath the access cover when the bag bottom rests upon said floor and the bag being provided with an enlarged bead on its outer surface adjacent the mouth;

releasable clamping means in the upper part of the cabinet for releasably receiving and clamping the upper edge portion of said bag defining the bag mouth including an assembly comprising a fixed support ring having formed therein a groove for at least partially receiving said bead, and a clamping ring concentric with the support ring and vertically movable between a lower bag-locking position and an upper bag-releasing position;

and electrically operated means energized by the opening of said service door for moving the clamping ring to its bag releasing position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Florance 220-1 Southard 220-87 Callan 2068 Poole 22036 Miller 248-99 X Giuliano 1944 Brighton 232-43.2

15 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner. 

1. IN A SANITARY RECEPTACLE FOR WASTE ITEMS, IN COMBINATION: A HOUSING COMPRISING A CABINET HAVING A BOTTOM FLOOR, WALLS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE FLOOR AND A HORIZONTAL TOP PROVIDED WITH AN OPENABLE ACCESS COVER, ONE OF SAID WALLS BEING PROVIDED WITH A SERVICE DOOR; AN OPEN-MOUNTED BAG OF FLEXIBLE IMPERMEABLE MATERIAL WITHIN THE CABINET, THE BAG BEING POSITIONABLE WITH ITS MOUTH IMMEDIATELY BENEATH THE ACCESS COVER WHEN THE BAG BOTTOM RESTS UPON SAID FLOOR; RELEASABLE CLAMPING MEANS IN THE UPPER PART OF THE CABINET CLAMPING MEANS IN THE UPPER PART OF THE UPPER EDGE PORTION OF SAID BAG DEFINING THE BAG MOUTH, INCLUDING ELECTRICALLY OPERATED MEANS FOR RELEASING THE CLAMPING MEANS; AND MEANS ACTUATED BY THE OPENING OF SAID SERVICE DOOR ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING SAID RELEASING MEANS. 